(Code 1981, §31-38-4.1, enacted by Ga. L. 2010, p. 548, § 2-1/SB 435.)
Editor's notes.- Ga. L. 2010, p. 548, § 1-1/SB 435, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: "The General Assembly finds that:
"(1) Diabetes is a chronic disease caused by the inability of the pancreas to produce insulin or to use the insulin produced in the proper way;
"(2) If untreated and poorly managed, diabetes has been medically proven to lead to blindness, kidney failure, amputation, heart attack, and stroke;
"(3) Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, responsible for a similar number of deaths each year as HIV/AIDS;
"(4) In Georgia, the prevalence of diabetes is 8 percent higher than the nation as a whole;
"(5) One out of three people with diabetes are not aware that they have the disease;
"(6) Without aggressive societal action, the number of people living with diabetes in Georgia will more than double to 1,697,000 people in the next 20 years, cutting life short for these people by ten to 20 years; and
"(7) Without aggressive societal action, the economic burden of diabetes on the State of Georgia is expected to grow from $5 billion each year to about $11.9 billion in the next 20 years."
Ga. L. 2010, p. 548, § 1-2/SB 435, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: "This Act shall be known and may be cited as the 'Diabetes and Health Improvement Act of 2010.'"